Wow, that is some serious talent they put into the dub of this. I hope their performances are on par. Saw the fansub of this and enjoyed it a bunch, a true no brainer for Blu Ray purchase for me. Of course I will be catching it in the theatre if it gets anywhere near me.

Why doesn't Disney get actual English dubbers instead of Hollywood actors, who struggle to match lip flaps? People always complain how English dubbing "sucks" but it's not gonna get "good" if they refuse to hire voice actors. The general consensus is that the 80s Streamline dubs of the Ghibli movie are inferior to their Disney counterparts, but at least those dubs used VOICE actors. People always say Ghibli dubs are "the few good dubs" but they're really not.

First, this isn't Disney. Second, using known celebrities sells the title.

Um, no

Mewtwo Strikes Back gross in the US/Canada: $85,744,662
Pokémon: The Movie 2000/Pocket Monsters the Movie: Revelation Lugia gross in the US/Canada: $43,758,684
Pokémon 3: The Movie/Pocket Monsters the Movie: Lord of the "UNKNOWN" Tower ENTEI: $17,052,128

Now, let's look at the most successful Ghibli films in the US/Canada.

Arriety: $19,202,743
Ponyo: $15,090,399
Spirited Away: $10 million+

Notice a little trend? Arriety barely made more money than Pokemon movie 3, which is not a good thing, since movie 3's gross in the US/Canada is by FAR the weakest. I'm not even going to delve into the other two. Using celebrities/Hollywood Stars=/= more popular. Veronica Taylor isn't near as popular as her Japanese counterpart, Rika Matsumoto, yet the 1st movie made more money domestically than Japan, let alone someone like Bridgit Mendler, who is in shows, which sell a shit ton of merchandise and gains ratings in the millions(not that Pokemon in the USA probably didn't achieve that) which proves my point.

Still, I have been waiting for this one to be dubbed and I look forward to what Ghibli can do producing alone after working with Disney. (No doubt they will still distribute though?

Considering that fact they these "normal" actors have struggled in the past with lip flaps and the fact Crispin Freeman could easily do it, shows that it makes more sense to have people who do this shit regularly and it makes more sense to use VOICE actors, to do VOICE work. The same also applies to the Japanese cast.

You arr talking about one outstanding VA who OUTVAS most of the competition though. I think most normal actors and most semi regulars are just about on par with the acting bit. They just need to work on their timing.

Beside. Anime movies don't do well in state theaters. Wasn't Arrietty the top grossing anime movie? Or is?

You arr talking about one outstanding VA who OUTVAS most of the competition though. I think most normal actors and most semi regulars are just about on par with the acting bit. They just need to work on their timing.

Beside. Anime movies don't do well in state theaters. Wasn't Arrietty the top grossing anime movie? Or is?

As I listed above, it's Mewtwo's Counterattack/Mewtwo Strikes Back, with over $80 million grossed. Next is Pokemon movie 2, next is Arrietty. Also, Freeman may be a top class voice actor, but he can be easily outperformed by VAs like Steve Blum, Michael McConnohie and Jamieson Price.

The Ghibli movies have usually been limited releases. Until Ponyo, they rarely played on more than 100 screens. Ponyo played in 900, and Arrietty played in 1,000 with a small marketing campaign. Most Hollywood movies are released to 4,000.

Pokemon had already made a name of itself, had a HUGE marketing campaign, was released to more screens than all the Ghibli films combined, and it made more money than all the Ghibli films combined and DOUBLED. Clearly it did not need celebrities, since non were involved (though Rachael Lillis did tweet that celebs were attached to the film originally, and that DiCaprio was in talks to play Ash). Essentially, the big name on the film was the Pokemon brand itself.

The Ghibli films, however, have always been a huge hit here on home video. Kikki sold a million VHS copies here when it first came out, and it's theatrical release was limited to a few screens and film festivals.

I don't mind the English voice actors for Ghibli movies. They do a fantastic job. No, the movies technically don't "need" name actors, but they work. It helps that GOOD celebrities are hired like Ron Howard, Cloris Leachman, Uma Thurman, Matt Damon, and Lauren Becall, not people like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake (a certain other Justin), and whoever People magazine has on the cover this week.

Studio Ghibli also approves of these dubs, and Hayao Miyazaki has had some involvement in production (he did hate the 80s dub of Nausicaa, prompting him to have a close eye on future English productions).

I wish more animated films would cast more full-time voice actors myself, but when they do such a great job in the Ghibli movies, I can't complain.

Last edited by PurpleWarrior13 on Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

First, this isn't Disney. Second, using known celebrities sells the title.

Um, no

Mewtwo Strikes Back gross in the US/Canada: $85,744,662
Pokémon: The Movie 2000/Pocket Monsters the Movie: Revelation Lugia gross in the US/Canada: $43,758,684
Pokémon 3: The Movie/Pocket Monsters the Movie: Lord of the "UNKNOWN" Tower ENTEI: $17,052,128

Now, let's look at the most successful Ghibli films in the US/Canada.

Arriety: $19,202,743
Ponyo: $15,090,399
Spirited Away: $10 million+

Notice a little trend? Arriety barely made more money than Pokemon movie 3, which is not a good thing, since movie 3's gross in the US/Canada is by FAR the weakest. I'm not even going to delve into the other two. Using celebrities/Hollywood Stars=/= more popular. Veronica Taylor isn't near as popular as her Japanese counterpart, Rika Matsumoto, yet the 1st movie made more money domestically than Japan, let alone someone like Bridgit Mendler, who is in shows, which sell a shit ton of merchandise and gains ratings in the millions(not that Pokemon in the USA probably didn't achieve that) which proves my point.

Your lack of logic has me rolling my eyes. You cannot compare the targeted audience of Ghibli films to that of Pokemon fans in the height of the Pokemon boom in America. Ghibli films in America are considered family friendly art house animated films. Pokemon in the late 90s/early 2000s was a cash cow phenomena, and not critically acclaimed.

And on the celebrity front, I remember clearly when I was much younger that the only way I managed to get my mother to sit down and watch Princess Mononoke with me was telling her the cast list. And I know first hand now with having a bunch of friends now with kids that some of those friends went to Ponyo because they love Tina Fey.

This cast for Poppy Hill actually has me wanting to give the English dub a try.

Does anyone know when and where the information about the expanded theatrical releases will be published? I would like to know if there are any plans for screening in South Florida, because if not I would like to be afforded the time to plan a trip to see it in New York.

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